From Baseball Cleats to a Roman Collar

by Fr. Burke Masters

I was born and raised in Joliet, Illinois, the youngest of three sons. I was not raised Catholic. My dad was raised in the United Church of Christ and my mother was raised as a Baptist. When they married in 1959, they decided that organized religion was not for them, even though they remained believers in Jesus Christ and lived very moral lives. Sundays in our home were just like every other day. We watched and played sports, but church was only a part of our lives when we visited my grandparents.

My dream was always to be a major league baseball player. So when I chose a high school, I went to Providence Catholic High School thinking that I was going to get a good education and further my baseball career. Providence provided that and so much more.

It was at Providence that I first encountered priests, nuns, Mass, and the Catholic Church. I was intrigued by my theology classes and found myself drawn to the person of Jesus Christ. I was very intrigued by the Catholic teaching of the Eucharist. How could Jesus be truly present in bread and wine?

One day I was at a Mass with a small group. Because of the size of the group, the priest brought Communion to each person and said, “The Body of Christ,” as he placed the Eucharist on the tongue. As I opened my mouth to say, “I’m not Catholic,” the priest, not realizing that I wasn’t Catholic, placed the Eucharist on my tongue.

At that moment I felt the most powerful presence of Jesus in my body. I remember thinking, “Now I understand what they have been trying to teach me.” I began to believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. My desire to receive Jesus in the Eucharist spurred me to join the Catholic Church. With my parents’ blessing, I was baptized, confirmed, and received my second Communion.

I went on to play baseball at Mississippi State University. My Catholic faith was challenged in the Bible Belt. I visited the churches of many friends—Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Evangelical, Pentecostal, you name it. And even though the preaching was very good and the music was often outstanding, each of these churches was missing something—the Eucharist. I found myself returning to Mass to receive Jesus’ Body and Blood in the Eucharist and decided at that time I would be Catholic forever.

Though I realized many dreams in college baseball—like playing on ESPN and in the College World Series—I was not drafted by the major leagues. I worked for a short time as an analyst for an insurance company, but was drawn back to baseball. So I received a master’s degree in sports administration and began to work for the Kane County Cougars in Geneva, Illinois, a minor league affiliate of the Florida Marlins.

Although I loved my job, I began to feel the call to enter the Catholic priesthood, especially as I sat in silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. After much prayer and spiritual direction, I entered Mundelein Seminary. As soon as I entered the seminary, I felt a sense of peace and joy that I hadn’t felt before. I haven’t looked back since. I was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Joliet in June of 2002.

I love being a priest and sharing the love of God and the joys of being Catholic. I would encourage all young men who have felt the call from God to be a priest to pray about this wonderful call. Whenever we follow the call from God, He provides us with the grace to fulfill that call.

If someone offered me a $10 million contract today to play major league baseball and give up the priesthood, I would not do it. There is no price tag I could place on the peace and joy I feel in my heart being a priest for Jesus Christ.

Fr. Masters serves as the vocation director for the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois.

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